This is one of my favourite summer recipes. I’m happy that the warm weather is finally really here and that I can start to pull out some of my seasonal favourites. That’s another thing I really enjoy about cooking is the sort of seasonal flow it has. I tend to cook quite differently in each season as the weather changes and my seasonal cravings shift.
I put together this recipe mostly because my husband is obsessed with pesto. Like seriously I think he could eat it for every meal of the day. On top of his love of pesto, he doesn’t really like traditional pasta salads because he doesn’t like mayonnaise or a lot of salad dressings. So, naturally I wanted to come up with a summer pasta salad to wrestle my seasonal cravings that he would actually eat.
And so my Pesto Pasta Salad was created.
This is an awesome, quick, easy recipe that is very customizable. At the base it consists of only 4 ingredients but you can also add more things to it if you want to change it up.
What you’ll need:
Pasta – I like Rotini the best as it holds the pesto nicely, up above I didn’t have any so I used a different shape.
Jar Basil Pesto or Fresh Basil Pesto – Our favourite is the President’s Choice Basil Pesto, it’s creamy and about 4$ a bottle which we can usually get at least 2 meals out of it.
Feta Cheese
1 Red Bell Pepper
Salt & Pepper
Optional Ingredients: Kalamata Olives (these would be a wonderful addition but my husband doesn’t like olives), Chopped Tomato, Diced Chicken Breast. There are definitely other possible add-ins but these are my suggestions.
Instructions:
- Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta.
- Drain the pasta once cooked and rinse with cold water. This keeps the pasta from sticking together as it cools or continuing to cook.
- Chop up your red bell pepper and feta cheese.
- Stir in desired amount of pesto into cooked pasta, add salt & pepper. Toss in your bell pepper and feta!
That’s it! It is probably one of simplest recipes I regularly make especially on a hot day when you want something light, tasty, but also something that won’t make you feel even hotter. I recommend serving this as a side salad to grilled meats or other summer dishes, or serving it as the main meal with a side of toasted baguette.
I hope you enjoy this easy recipe. Let me know in the comments if you try it out and any changes you make!
Write soon,
Hannah B. L.
HBLogs 